Outram School Writing overview

Background
English is structured around two interconnected strands, each encompassing the oral, written, and visual forms of the language.
The strands differentiate between the modes in which students are primarily:
• making meaning of ideas or information they receive (Listening, Reading, and Viewing)
• creating meaning for themselves or others (Speaking, Writing, and Presenting).
The achievement objectives within each strand suggest progressions through which most students move as they become more
effective oral, written, and visual communicators. Using a set of underpinning processes and strategies, students develop
knowledge, skills, and understandings related to:
* text purposes and audiences
* ideas within language contexts
* language features that enhance texts
* the structure and organisation of texts.
Students need to practise making meaning and creating meaning at each level of the curriculum. This need is reflected in the way
that the achievement objectives are structured. As they progress, students use their skills to engage with tasks and texts that are
increasingly sophisticated and challenging, and they do this in increasing depth.
Year 0-3

Each Year Resource Links

Recount Recount Exemplars

Matrix of Progress Indicators – deep features

Narrative
Narrative Exemplars

Matrix of Progress Indicators – Deep Features

Report Report Exemplars

Poetry There is currently no NZ Curriculum exemplar for poetry

Year 4-8

Odd Year Resource Links Even Year Resource Links

To Recount To Recount Recount Exemplars
(Possible contexts Recount Exemplars
include: Matrix of Progress Indicators – Deeper
autobiography, diary, Matrix of Progress Indicators – Features
review, retell, journal) Deeper Features

To Entertain (poetry) There is currently no NZ To Entertain Entertain Exemplars

Curriculum exemplar for poetry (Prose such as
narrative, Matrix of Progress Indicators – Deeper
historical/realistic Features
fiction, fable, fairytale,
legends, adventure)
To Describe (report) Describe Exemplars To Instruct Instruct Exemplars
(examples include;
signs, purposeful Matrix of Progress Indicators for Presenting
steps, recipes, and Viewing Static Images
experiments,
directions, manual)
To Explain Explain Exemplar To persuade To Persuade Exemplar
(explanation)
Matrix of Progress Indicators - Matrix of Progress indicators – Deep features
Deeper Features
Other useful Resources:

Matrix of Surface features for Transactional and Poetic Writing

The Writer – Context and Process from Exemplars

English Online

Croft, Cedric and Mapa, Lia (1998). Spell-Write: An Aid to Writing, Spelling and Word Study: Revised Edition. Wellington: New
Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Ministry of Education (1992). Dancing with the Pen: The Learner as a Writer. Wellington: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education (1996). Describe, Explain, Argue: Teaching and Learning Transactional Writing from Level 1 – Level 4.
Christchurch: User Friendly Resources.

Ministry of Education (1996). Exploring Language: A Handbook for Teachers. Wellington: Learning Media.